Minimal Pair initial /ʤ/ and /j/
as in jaw and your
Below is a list of words that vary only by one starting with the sound /ʤ/ and the other starting with the sound /j/.
You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.
/ʤ/ is released with a sudden release of air, similar to /tʃ/ but with use of the voice. The phonemic symbol /j/ looks as if it should be pronounced like the first letter of jam, but is in fact the first sound in yellow. The sound /j/ is similar to the vowel sound /i:/, and in fact is often called a “semi-vowel”.
Elementary / Pre-Intermediate
jaw your
jaw you’re
Jew you
jewel you’ll
Intermediate
jam yam
jeer year
jet yet
job yob
juice use
Upper-Intermediate
gel yell
gin yin
jack yak
Jews use
joke yoke
Advanced
gip yip
jack yack
jaw yaw
jaw yore
jetty yeti
joke yolk
